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Forgive My Fins

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I may fantasize about falling in love with a vampire or werewolf, but I dream about being a mermaid. A mermaid princess would be even better, and Lily Sanderson gets to be both.

In the tradition of Disney's The Little Mermaid and more recently Aquamarine, FORGIVE MY FINS is about a mermaid princess torn between two worlds and the problems that accompany each, like having to find a mate before her eighteenth birthday or lose her claim to the throne, putting up with a irritating yet suddenly attractive neighbor who delights in tormenting her, and finding the courage to reveal her true identity to the guy she's secretly loved for years.

The mermaid world in FORGIVE MY FINS is a fully flushed out sea kingdom. Mermaids have their own distinct culture, rituals, magic, and even slang. Tera Lynn deftly weaves in elements from mythology and antiquity in creating the merkingdom of Thalassinian. And the underwater world contrasts nicely with the out of water world of Seaview high.

I did get a little annoyed with Lily's attitude especially as it was constantly directed at the too-good-to-be-true Quince. He gives new meaning to the word long suffering. I never understood why he fell for her. To borrow some of Lily's sea slang, she was a complete seawitch to him. He does one romantic and selfless thing after another for her and she treats him deplorably.

Lily's behavior aside, there are several scenes that will make the hearts of teenage girls everywhere race, and while not a teenager myself anymore, I got swept up the the romance between Lily and Quince too.

What's a better summer read than a mermaid story about first love? FORGIVE MY FINS is a sparkling splash of a story full of crush worthy guys, adolescent teen angst, and magical romance. Lily tends to transform her attitude almost as often as she does her scales, but I really enjoyed this story. The epilogue hints that we'll be seeing more from Lily and Quince in the near future. I'll post the details when they are available.

Sexual Content: kissing.

From reading Forgive My Fins I have gathered that

Mermaids + some of the best literary kisses I've ever read + one charming bad boy + a bond gone wrong = one unforgettable, spectacular story that leaves Tera Lynn Childs as a front runner in being one of the best authors of the year, in my opinion!

It's easy to say that this is one of my favorite books year if not one of my favorites of all time. Since I loved so many different aspects of it.

Such as the setting of Thalassinian, a kingdom under the sea for all the mermaids and mermen, that brought together with Tera's great descriptions made you feel like you were right there with Lilly the whole time! It was interesting to read more about it as well as get a picture perfect view of it in your head.

Plus, the characters were ones that I adored from the start. Lilly is one that I'm sure many that many girls can relate to. Since while she's at times shy and hesitant to be herself, she's also dead loyal to her friends and a nice person to all. Quince is basically the opposite of Lilly since he doesn't really care what people think, even though on the inside he cares too much, and he's fine being the charming, bad boy. Paired together these too make quite the couple! Since while they mix as well as fire and ice at times (wait until you see their arguments they are so funny, yet so heated!) at others they balance each other in a way that's perfect!

The plot of this was one that constantly had you guessing of what was going to happen next. Were Quince and Lilly ever going to be together? What about Brody;was he as cute as he looked or just dead on the inside? Was Lily's cousin more evil then she lead on? Only time would tell!

And the writing in this flowed so well and reminded me of Meg Cabot's. Since in one review I read a while ago compared Cabot's books to candy in the way that once you had one you were dying to have another, and Forgive My Fins proved to be the same. Since as soon as I was done with this, I was dying to read more! So hopefully there will be a sequel and if not, Tera still has a ton of other interesting books coming out that I can't wait to read!

Overall, do yourself of favor this summer, June 1st preferably. That favor? Go out and buy this because I promise you that you won't regret it one bit. And if you do, you have my permission to send me a scathing email. Though, I doubt that will happen. ;)

Grade: A+

Forgive My Fins was a beautifully written mermaid tale. The characters and magical essence of the story was absorbing. Also, the mermaid lingo was a plus. The usage of ocean terms were entertaining and very original. Lily, was a unique protagonist. Her insecure, complex personality and frizzy hair didn't fit the stereotype of a "glamorous" mermaid. I appreciated how Tera twisted the way I perceived mermaids. However, it didn't take away from Lily's hidden raw beauty and great energy. Since she was a princess, it was her duty to find a lover to bond with, before her eighteenth birthday. I loved the whole idea of bonding a mermaid and a human together. Very romantic. Reminded me of my favorite Disney movie, The Little Mermaid.

Now, instead of her bonding with her hunky crush Brody, she was stuck with Quince, her annoying neighbor. Quince's personality was awesome. To Lily he was annoying, but I found him charming and endearing. Their cat and mouse relationship was amusing. I liked when he made fun of Lily. It showed how attentive and willing he was to deal with her situation. I routed for him and hoped she would warm up to the idea of Quince as her mate. The novel was a bit predictable at times, but it didn't take away from the story. I was still interested and look forward to continuing this series. After all, Tera left us with a cliffhanger that left me wanting more. Overall, if you're a fan of mermaids, you'll want to pick this one up!

Ever since I first came across a synopsis of Forgive my Fins, I'd been dying to read it, so when I could never seem to find it in any book store, I was so dissapointed. But now that I've finally read it (I won it in a contest!), I definitly think that it was well worth the wait, because it was fantastic!

I've always loved mermaids (when I was little, whenever anyone would ask what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would always answer that I wanted to be a mermaid lol), but I've found that the YA genre has been lacking on books about mermaids, but this thankfully seems to be changing! Tera Lynn Childs has really struck gold, in my opinion, with Forgive my Fins because it combines everything that I love in a book; love, romance, humour, and of course mermaids as the supernatural creature of choice!

Lily was such a cute character! I loved her from the beginning of the book, and all of her adorable ocean themed expressions made her that much more loveable. I found her to be so endearing and sweet! She was definitley very confused about her emotions though, and there were some times when I found her to be very stubborn, but as the book progressed, she was able to sort out her feelings and realize what she really wanted, who she was really falling for and who the right guy was for her.

I definitley liked the character Quince in Forgive My Fins. He totally reminded me of that annoyong little boy who pulls on a girls pigtails when her likes her, but in a very good way. He kind of tries to have a sort of care-free, bad boy (he rides a motorcycle, which is pretty much a must-have for any bad boy lol) attitude about him, but you can see that he's such a sweetheart underneath his pigtail tugging exterior.

As a whole, Forgive My Fins was a great read! Tera Lynn Childs writing was great and definitley made me laugh! As I mentioned before, I loved the ocean and fish themed expressions and puns that were riddled throughout the book, it added just a little something special to it, which I really liked! If you haven't yet read Forgive My Fins, I would definitley, 100% recommend picking it up! I seriously loved everything about this book and am now anxiously awaiting it's sequel, Fins Are Forever!

First, it must be said that I bought an edition of it that have extras in it. The short story "When Quince met Lily" made my day.

I loved Quince on the spot. He is so damn cute and has been trying to win Lily over for years. Years! Without looking away from the one he wanted, not just switching to another girl as if just anyone would do. Nope. He has such a viciously perky and witty personality... Yes, I was a complete fan of his while I hadn't even begin the book.

As for Lily... Darn, girl, open your fishy eyes! She keeps waiting for Brody to notice her (the first nice guy she met at her new human school, which led her to fancy herself in love with him)... for years! It was mildly irritating that she wouldn't acknowledged that she had just the perfect guy for her right under her nose.

But I loved how Quince always managed to prevent them from getting closer, how he was so jealous and ever so ready to take the little pieces of tenderness she allowed herself (quite guiltily of course, she wouldn't be silly otherwise). There's a lot to say about a man that is willing to let down his pride to get what he wants most.

The mermaid's world was nice. This book has a true ending, even if there is a second book - Fins are forever. The only thing that REALLY made me mad was the broken soulmate link... Oh for pity's sake, girl! What were you thinking exactly?! Almost TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) but then Quince would be upset and I like him too much for that.

Will read book 2 soon. I'll review it as well.

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This book was so fun to read! I loved the Little Mermaid feel to it and it was super funny and upbeat! After finding out that her mother is human, Lily's father decides that she should spend sometime on the shore since she is half-human. After being above water for only a short while, she comes across Brody who she sees swimming effortlessly in the ocean. She decides right then and there that she is in love with him and wants to bond herself to him for the rest of her life. But the only problem is, he has a girlfriend and has never really mustered up enough courage to tell him how she feels. Her neighbor Quince irritates the hell out of her by always showing up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Even though I loved the aspects of Lily and Quince's relationship, I thought it was very typical of a YA novel. They hate each other, at least she hates him, but they spend so much time together that they decide that maybe there's something there they didn't see; maybe there's chemistry and a spark. Then Brody turns out to be the typical popular jock and doesn't accept Lily in the way she wants him to. I felt a lot of the themes in the book were just typical and ordinary instead of being extraordinary.

The main character Lily is very likable and I was rooting for her the whole time even during the times I was hoping she would finally find common sense and realize you can't be in love with someone you barley know. Again with the ordinary because Quince was the typical bad boy who drives the motorcycle and kisses unsuspecting girls without their permission.

All in all the story was just so fun and that's what I keep coming back to. I didn't not like it but it wasn't absolutely amazing. It was enough to keep me going, made me glad that I bought it and excited to read the next one!

Mermaid princess Lily Sanderson is turning 16 in a few weeks. Because she's next in line for the throne of the merkingdom Thalassinia, she must find her mate, and she has her sights set on Brody Bennett. If it's anyone who can adapt to a life under the sea, it's Brody. He moves through the water just as well as any other mermaid or merman, but he doesn't seem to know that Lily exists. Desperate to make her move, she can't resist the help of her arch enemy, Quince Fletcher. Just one kiss with Brody, and their fates will be forever sealed. But when Lily kisses the wrong guy, it's total chaos and mayhem for the Thalassinian princess.

Quince isn't all that bad, but he's still not Brody. The bond is reversible, but Lily has to convince her father, King Whelk, that she and Quince are not suited for one another. The longer the bond exists between them, the harder it becomes to resist the feelings she's developed for him.

This is a really cute, fun book, but there were a few things about it that annoyed me. It's a YA read, and I was a bit disappointed at some of the terminology. For example, "cha-chas". Really? Cha-chas? That's something I would accept in a MG read, but not in a teen read. My other gripe is with the ending. I thought it wrapped up nicely, and then I read the epilogue. I really don't see any need for a sequel, but I guess the publisher thought they could cash in on more. There were no dangling threads really, nothing left to discuss between Quince/Lily/Brody, but apparently there's more to say about Lily's troublemaking cousin. If that's the case, it should have been addressed with a bit more force throughout the rest of the book. We learn the most important, driving force about her in the last few pages. Not a fan of how this was resolved.

Overall, this is a nice addition to my mermaid literature collection, and I like Tera's sense of humor, so I'll be glad to look into her other books. I'll still read the sequel to this one, but it's not one I'll be rushing out to buy.

This is such a feel good book! Light and frothy, Forgive My Fins has likable characters and one of the hottest PG romances around. Billed as a "bad boy" because of his motorcycle, leather, and aloof nature, we really only ever see him as a complete sweetie. I don't usually go for the nice guy next door, but I can't but help making an exception for Quince. He is so sweet. He treats Lily like she's the only person he sees, even when she's chasing after Brody and calling Quince a jerk.

Sometimes nice guys can be boring, but Quince is not boring. There are a few simple scenes that never go beyond PG and sometimes don't even include kissing, but they are nonetheless hot. I positively melted. I wanted to reach into the book and shake some sense into Lily. How could she not see how amazing Quince is?! And spending her time mooning over Brody? Brody? The girl is blind.

While Lily's constant Brody-chasing got tiresome and a little unbelievable after a while, I did still like her. She was so genuine and sweet. I remembered when I was young and crushing on a cute boy in school. Her nervousness and the way she got all excited when he looked at her or said something completely innocuous made me remember my own teenage years.

There wasn't a whole lot to the plot. This is pretty much 100% a character-driven story with very few actual events. Did I care? Not a bit. The characters were strong enough and likable enough that I was content to read about their conversations and growing feelings. This book is total fluff, but it is fluff at its finest. I definitely recommend this one if you're looking to be swept up in a light Disney-style romance.

There is a sequel, Fins are Forever (set for release in July 2011), but this book can easily be read as a standalone. The epilogue is the only indication that there is something unresolved, and hints that there may be a lot more conflict and action in the second book. I'm looking forward to the sequel but will luckily have Childs' other offerings to keep me busy until its release.

I just have to say that without a doubt that I'm a very big fan of Tera Lynn Childs' writing. I believe it's possible to be a one-hit wonder in the writing world just like it is everywhere else, but Childs is in no danger of falling into this category. After reading her Oh.My.Gods. series, I was hoping for the same fun, light reads that I had come to expect from Childs, and I was not disappointed with Forgive My Fins. I think I've found a new series that I'll be following in the future with a lot of anticipation.

We are introduced to Lily, our half human, half mermaid main character and I think a lot of readers will be joining her fan club after getting to know her. She's very easy to sympathize with and relate to. Although I can't claim to be a mermaid (even though Ariel and The Little Mermaid had me daydreaming as a little kid) I think most girls have had their share of crushes growing up. And Lily shows this in spades. As Lily pines for Brody Bennett (the swim god at her high school) I think every reader will be walking on egg shells right along with Lily as she tries to get up the courage to confess her love to the boy in question. And if that wasn't enough to stress her out, Childs decided to throw another wrench into her plans.

This wrench I was talking about happens to go by the name Quince and lives right next door to Lily. He's tall, well built, knows his way around a motorcycle (major cool points there), has blonde hair and blue eyes the color of the Caribbean. Can you tell I'm drooling over here? While Lily might find his teasing and constant meddling in her personal life irritating, I'm saying I'll take him off her hands if she doesn't want him! But I digress, because the fun didn't stop there, it was only just the beginning.

With just one kiss Lily's world is thrown upside down and in order to fix and figure things out she just might have to spend a little time with Quince and *gasp* get to know him a little better. Can you imagine the horror? Will she survive the torture? Will she finally find the courage to confess her feelings to Brody, or will she discover that just because you get what you want doesn't always mean that it's what you need or could it be that you might not have realized what you really wanted when it was staring you right in the face. Enter Childs' world and enjoy the ride!

When I read the summary for this book, I was instantly interested. I have read books by Tera Lynn Childs before- Oh.My.Gods and Goddess Bootcamp were great books- so I expected this book to be great too. Although the plot for the book was interesting and kept me turning the pages, I just couldn't stand the main character, Lily. She was so snotty and mean to Quince, even when she thought she liked him! I also didn't like the fact that until the very end she was completely IN LOVE with Brody, and that she wouldn't admit that there was something between her and Quince. After awhile her attitude toward Quince really turned me off this book and I skimmed through the rest of the pages I had left. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who wants to read this book because of the romance.